Chapter 1034: Chapter 374: Millennium Vendetta Spirit Summoning Tower

After dinner, Aleister followed Albert and a few others to the Preservation Room of the Spirit Summoning Tower.

Although the name might sound like a storeroom, it is in fact a very important part of the Spirit Summoning Tower, second only in importance to the Spirit Amber Spine that provides the tower’s core power.

“To enter this place, you need a bit of protection, which also serves as a kind of key.”

Adolf, who had accompanied them, stretched out his magic wand and touched it to the shoulders of Aleister and the other two.

A faint, dull yellow film then gracefully enveloped their bodies.

They then pushed the door open and walked in.

Upon entering, Aleister immediately felt an intense force of the Path of Dusk.

Everything here seemed as if time had been frozen… bathed in a dull yellow light, maintaining absolute silence.

Not far away stood several rows of huge bookshelves, containing not only books but also jars with organs in them, as well as some odd trinkets or neatly packed documents. There was also an opened, quaintly styled giant treasure chest filled with glittering gold coins and various gemstones.

One could even see two figures resembling small-time thieves squatting beside the chest, their faces gleaming with joy.

One held gold coins in his hands, letting them fall naturally. The coins sliding through his fingers were suspended in midair.

The other was holding gemstones and a soft handkerchief, seemingly carefully wiping them, but now that handkerchief had also become incredibly firm, unshakable.

Some people, frozen in place, were mid-stride, not realizing what had happened.

Others seemed to sense something amiss, their faces showing panic as they raised their magic wands.

“These people… are they thieves?” Aleister asked.

Her voice did not echo, but the others clearly heard her.

“Some are, and some are students who didn’t obey,” Adolf replied, closing the door to the Preservation Room. His voice also arose from deep within Aleister’s heart: “This Preservation Room is constantly under the most powerful Preservation Arts of the Spirit Summoning Tower. The Headmaster’s ‘Amber Container’ is here, and the power it emanates is enough to bring the surrounding time to a standstill. That’s also the Headmaster’s greatest vulnerability.”

“…Is it okay to tell me this?”

Aleister was taken aback.

The so-called “Amber Container” should be the phylactery of the Lich. Unlike the Amber Artisan — who creates an amber container to seal a soul inside, then transfers it to another body, a kind of preparation for possession — if one can create a body without a soul, it can also be considered a form of rebirth.

The phylactery is different – it encompasses the core ability of a “Lich.” The Lich seals its entire soul inside; as long as the phylactery is not destroyed, even if the body outside is demolished, it can be reborn at any time. Conversely, if it is destroyed, then the Headmaster would die instantly, no matter how powerful.

For a moment, Aleister feared he might not be able to leave.

Adolf, however, shook his head: “It doesn’t matter. After so many years, this has long ceased to be a secret. If we can’t hide it from foes, there’s no need to hide it from friends… Even if someone knows about this, they can’t get in. And you have the Sixth Power Level’s Wild Hunt King at your beck and call; if you really had any malice towards us, would the Preservation Room stop you? Therefore, it’s better to show the greatest sincerity upfront.”

“Moreover, you underestimate the ‘Preservation Arts.’ ‘Preserving secrets’ is also within the domain of Preservation Arts. The knowledge learned here cannot be directly told to outsiders once outside; it can only be passed on through riddles or hints — those who know the secret, will ultimately remain silent.”

“Look, you see…”

As he spoke, Black Minister Adolf pointed his magic wand at a man wearing a hood, who was otherwise very inconspicuous.

If Adolf hadn’t specifically pointed him out, Aleister might not have even noticed him.

“That’s a Master Assassin of the Fifth Power Level. During the War of the Cracked Earth, the people of the Black Hawk attempted an assassination of the Headmaster and sent him to infiltrate the Spirit Summoning Tower. Clearly, he did not succeed.”

And now, the man was frozen in his forward-stepping posture, completely unaware of his predicament.

“And this person,” Adolf pointed to another white-bearded old man who seemed to be chanting a spell, “a Fifth Power Level Great Mage, the Mage Lord of Narcissus. And that woman with silver hair, she’s a Fifth Power Level Son of the Moon… I don’t recognize the others. There are many who wish to kill the headmaster, and now they are all spoils of war.”

As he spoke, Adolf pointed to the jars containing organs: “These as well–all of these organs originally belonged to powerhouses of Fifth Power Level. These are the most premium corpses, suitable for the highest-level rituals and Necromancy, serving as our tactical reserves.

“However, these were not killed by the headmaster… They were collected by the former headmasters, and ones before them. Each generation of headmaster uses their own strength to maintain the existence of this Preservation Chamber. Among all headmasters, Teacher Grunevald was the longest living, and it was only Teacher who liked to preserve these assassins and little thieves as well. Therefore, these people have all appeared since Teacher became the headmaster.”

“…It seems like the headmaster was once treated like a boss to be farmed,” Aleister muttered.

Facing this secret, Albert and Aurora were not surprised. Apparently, they had already heard all this from Adolf when they placed their own teacher here.

Anyway, with their talents, they would most likely have to rely on them for the Spirit Summoning Tower in the future. The current Black Chancellor Adolf has thought about retirement for a long time; as soon as he brings Albert out, he would be able to leave.

At this moment, Aleister suddenly thought of something.

It was the name of the dungeon after the Old Lich entered–it was called the Spirit Summoning Tower of Thousand-Year Grudges.

“…How long has the Spirit Summoning Tower existed?”

Aleister asked, “You are the vice headmaster of the Spirit Summoning Tower, you should know the history of the Tower, right?”

“Hmm. If we are talking about the true Spirit Summoning Tower, it has existed for more than four thousand years,” Adolf replied without hesitation. “It has been here since before the birth of mankind–at that time, the Spirit Summoning Tower was a legacy of the Birdmen, called the ‘Tower of Heaven.’ A long time ago, it was a Mage Tower.”

“…Mage Tower?”

The two young Necromancers, obviously not privy to such secretive history, couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.

“It was even called the ‘Tower of Truth’ back then, as it held the power to deduce all the mysteries of the past and future. Ancient Mages differed from those of today… Mystical Skills such as Necromancy, Preservation Arts, Astrology, Alchemy, Sorcery, ritual spells and all mysteries were all classified under spells, divided into nine major categories and twenty-seven subcategories, exhausting all the mysteries of the world.

“It’s said that when the Great Sage ascended to divinity, he directly cleaved through time and space from the Tower of Heaven to reach the Dream Realm with his physical body.

“But afterwards, one day the Tower of Truth was suddenly struck down by divine Thunder, causing a great fire that burnt everything. Many ancient Mages inside were killed, and many pieces of knowledge were scattered and lost. Since Thunder was the domain of the Great Sage, many ancient Mages believed that after ascending to be a Pillar God, he destroyed the ladder of divinity, hence they harbored resentment towards the Great Sage… However, the Great Sage remained silent, neither admitting nor denying it.

“The Mages of the past fought fiercely over this, and the legacies were dispersed. Everyone stopped calling themselves ‘Mages,’ but rather ‘Spellcasters.’ It was after this that humans, as newcomers, became qualified to learn these Mystical Skills.

“The many taboo knowledges stored in the Tower of Truth at that time have now been scattered… And the legacy that has been preserved the most complete among them is us Necromancers who also mastered the ‘Preservation Arts’. Only we, who understand the Preservation Arts, can comprehend the silence of the Great Sage.”

No wonder…

Aleister suddenly realized.

Preservation Arts have touched upon operations at the conceptual level. Its power is clearly far greater compared to those spells and Astrology!

It’s because the legacy itself is the most complete among all the Spellcaster lineages…

“Until twelve hundred years ago, when the first headmaster found the spine of Spirit Amber Celestial Marshal left in the Material Realm from the deep sea. With the ancient craftsmanship used to create the Mage Tower, he forged it into the very first Spirit Summoning Tower. The Spirit Summoning Tower was then on a remote island overseas. It wasn’t until two hundred years later, or a thousand years ago… that the Spirit Summoning Tower finally made its way to the Empire.

“–Strictly speaking, the Spirit Summoning Tower, led by the human race as the main species and with Necromancy as the main legacy, has only been in existence for less than a thousand years.”

Adolf said lightly.

As if it wasn’t a thousand years, but merely a few decades or a century.

And that name once again echoed in Aleister’s mind—-

Spirit Summoning Tower of Thousand-Year Grudges.